Rick
- 2016-03-08
Great! Thank you all for the advice. Hopefully the schools can look beyond her weight. Fingers crossed!
DrofTCM
- 2016-03-07
Okay then she has absolutely no obligation to deal with them. No reason to deal with them. Every reason to leave them.
She can (and should) just literally walk about the city to any and every school and introduce herself and she will be hired inside a week.
Zero point or purpose to being with that agency.
Rick
- 2016-03-07
Thanks for the replies.
The agency asked her to get a tourist Visa then they would change it there in China. So she just has a multiple entry, no Z-visa. They are not paying her, she's just sitting in a run down hotel while they keep trying to get someone to hire her. She was told because she's an overweight black American with dreadlocks the Chinese schools don't want to take her. Is there any non racial part of China that will let her teach. She's been working with kids for 30 years and has a masters in education. She's been trying to find other jobs in Thailand, Africa and south America, but the legit jobs seem hard to find or only want volunteers.
DrofTCM
- 2016-03-07
In a real sense a contract with the agency doesn't mean anything to anyone.
A Z-Visa does. If they already filed a working visa with the government then thats a different story.
But as for a contract with that agency goes? Then they can still pay her the monthly salary agreement. If they don't assign her to any schools or classes then good for her. She can relax and enjoy.
drrjon
- 2016-03-07
Why is she using an agency? She can visit schools herself to find a job. Most agents are bottom feeders. You said she signed a contract with then but have they applied for her work permit? Most contracts here mean squat.
Rick
- 2016-03-07
Thank you so much for the help. It's been a week already and the agency hasn't been able to find her anything yet. She signed a 1 year contract and don't want to break it by finding another job. But the agency is breaking the contract by not being able to find her work correct?
DrofTCM
- 2016-03-06
It's a shocking story because as a strict rule they'd have a picture of her long before she arrived in China and before they even started invitations. They'd also ask her age almost immediately and then again have some resume/cv, documents clearly showing her age somewhere if not many places on many documents.
But as you describe it was an agency so they might have assigned her to that school without that school knowing one way or the other. Agency just wants to get paid so they hide whatever they need to hide.
but anyways, I haven't seen problems with overweight foreign teachers and if a teacher is black then dreadlocks are a kind of 'bonus' that for some reason they seem to think its appropriate and interesting about black people.
Generally speaking they want the tallest 'whitest' youngest.. hmmm... actually not so much young but actually good looking. (some older teachers actually do get a special kind of respect/value but again should look good, scholarly, professorial sorta appearances).
and having said that, I've seen a crunchy looking older guy (far from handsome) who's actually quite beloved by high school kids somehow and at a top school for years. I've seen a number of fat black ladies (and not young either) and actually 'tall younger black man' (in other words looks like NBA player) has a pretty good popularity in 2016. Look 'hip' and wear NBA gear and actually you can do quite well!
I do believe she will be placed soon and it will still be a problem just because of the general disrespect and living conditions (same for all people) however don't forget she has no need for that agency and can simply start contacting schools on her own and get hired directly. If she visits 10 schools (literally she can just 'walk-in' any time) I predict 3 will try and hire her and for a reasonably decent deal.
They need her more than she needs them. remind her of that.
Hi all,
I have a big problem and need some advice. My mother has 30+ years working with kids, she has a Masters in education from the States and a 120 Tesol cert. She recently went to China for work through an agency and after 2 days she was let go because she's black, overweight with natural dreadlocks. The agency, kids and assistant teacher loved her but the head lady in charge at the school couldn't get past her appearance. I didn't know it was like this in China. It seems most of Asia is that way. They tend to hire white women/men between 21 -45. She's very embarrassed by all of this. She's now stuck in a hotel waiting for the agency to find a place willing to accept her the way she is. Is there any advice anyone here can give her to help her out. Maybe countries not so judgmental about looks. She's an awesome teacher and a great person, she just needs the chance to show her skill. Thank you!